OBITUARY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 294, 15 May 1914, Page 4

OBITUARY

m COLONEL WILLIAM HOLDEN WKISB. The death is announced from Nclsoh of Colonel William Holden Webb, at one time Commandant of the New Zealand Forces, an officer well known throughout the Dominion. Colonel Webb was !wm at Essendon, Herts, in 1843. la the year 1801 he obtained a commission in tli» British Army as an ensign, and "joined the Bombay European Regiment [..*„ K;irnichee in India, and afterwards served with Her Majesty's 100 t- Toot (nmv 2nd Battalion Leicester Regiment). Si;; years later he was promoted t<> t» lieutenant, and was adjutant to bis regiment for seven years prior to his n-firo-n.ent in 1878, after his return to Ktigi'l'd. He came to Xew Zealand in IS7S, ith-l o'.i January Ist, ISSO, was appointed il'Mnct Adjutant for N'elson, Wi'slhuul, ' ■>■,!■' I'.tarlbcmmgh. In IXBI, he accepted I! '• "ommand of the Otago district, with the rank of lieutenant-Colonel. Ten years liter he was transferred to the command of the Canterbury district, and in l!K)3 was appointed to the command ol : the Wellington district. In Angus! of {..hat year he was made president ol the Central Board of Military Examinations, and acted as Commandant of the Korces ■on the: resignation of MajorGeneral llaibington in 100(i. Three months hiler he was appointed secretary and i

promoted .to the rank of Colonel. He has !> ■■< i] living in retirement in Nelson foi srai« time past. In many respects the late Colonel W»-])b was a remarkable officer. One ol his greatest points was thoroughness, which lie carried through without even jth.! semblance of harassing his subordinates. At managing a camp, a military office, or a big ceremonial parade ho had few equals. In his long cai'eeK there is not recorded a single hitch in any of his, arrangements in connection with a big assemblage of troops, lie was in comma ml of the Otago Volunteers on such occasins as the visit oi J1.K.11. the Duke of Cornwall and York (now His .Majesty the King), the visit of the Imperial troops, and the organising and dispatch of contingents for tiro South African war. On such occasions he invariably calculated out each detail, ■ iii-v fin' each unit would li avc to march, -low long it would take to stand on parade, what the strain on the men would be likely ,to be, and where the crowd would b." likely to give trouble through patriotic, over-eagerness. In '■amp, anything in the nature of a disturbance was never dreamt of when hj» v-'«is in charge. As a •'drill," powsswl «1 u line word of command, he was an adept nt putting a battalion (or even a large body of troops) through its paces. His pliilanlhrophy and kindlv nil tine were also well known to lii« inner (iK'le of frineds.